University of Oxford

The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG), University of Oxford, was
established in 1994 to undertake research into the genetic basis of common diseases. The scientific objective of the Centre is to explore all aspects of the genetic susceptibility of disease including the localisation of genes involved in common diseases, characterisation of the variants responsible for susceptibility, the understanding of how these DNA variants may contribute to risk of disease in the population and finally, how such genetic factors contribute biologically to a disease process. The Centre houses multi-disciplinary research teams in human genetics, functional genomics, bioinformatics, statistical genetics and structural biology, as well as its own administrative and management personnel.

The Genomics Laboratory is funded by The Wellcome Trust and is part of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. The Centre is internationally acknowledged as one of the leaders in its field and has recently secured the renewal of its core funding as a result of outstanding reviews. The Genomic laboratory included a microarray facility producing arrays by contact printing (using a Lucidea Contact Printer) and microarray scanners, an Affymetrix GeneChip System and an Illumina Beadstation System. These are complemented by a MALDI-TOF based Sequenom System, Real-Time PCR machines, High-Resolution Malting and capillary electrophoresis equipment. These systems are used for gene expression profiling, protein-DNA binding and genotyping applications (http://www.well.ox.ac.uk/genomics). The laboratory has established a variety of microarray and genotyping platforms.

For Protein-DNA binding analysis, the group has performed extensive tests to select the type of slide and chemistry that provide optimal results using its own arrays. In parallel arrays provided by Oxford Gene Technologies based on the Agilent System have been used extensively for the same purpose. The group’s personnel is trained in microarray data analysis by attending a number of courses and collaborating with experts inside and outside the Centre, and thus achieving a high level of expertise in this area.